With the development of electronic media, society has become more susceptible to information and psychological influences. The arms race, as the main means of achieving power, is being replaced by a new, more powerful instrument - the information and intellectual race, which is carried out with the help of the media.
Instructions
Step 1
The media are institutions that openly and publicly transmit various information to any person. They have a number of political functions:
- informational. Broadcasting information of public importance, on the basis of which citizens form an opinion about the activities of political institutions.
- educational. Communication of knowledge that helps to organize information and give them an adequate assessment. Such political education can form both rational and false opinions in people, which leads to a distortion of the perception of reality.
- the function of socialization. Communication services help a person adapt to social reality by assimilating political norms, values and rules of behavior.
- control. The media, unlike state bodies, can give events not only a legal, but also a moral assessment, inclining the opinions of citizens in one direction or another.
- mobilization. Encourages people to take certain political actions. The media can not only motivate, but even change the way of thinking, influencing the mind and feelings of people.
Step 2
There are several theories regarding the possibility of the media influencing the value orientations of the population. The first appeared in the 30s of the last century. She argues that the media has a direct, rapid and effective impact on drug-like behavior in society. According to another theory - the "theory of cultural effects" - the media imposes certain ideas and stereotypes gradually, forming one or another way of thinking with a long portion of information.
Step 3
The liberal position is based on the fact that communication media only issue messages that meet the needs of the market. Liberals do not see a particular danger in this, believing that the media only strengthens a specific attitude, and does not establish it. The audience itself "extracts" the necessary information, mixing it with their beliefs.
Step 4
Be that as it may, powerful propaganda support can boost the rating of any politician in just a few months. Messages about a particular political character received during the election campaign have a total informational impact on the voter. When it reaches its maximum, a person is finally determined in his choice. An additional effect is achieved through the participation of a candidate in television projects: the more often he appears on the screen, the more interest he attracts.
Step 5
The main thing for a manipulator is to fit into the image created for him by professional image makers. In reality, he can be the complete opposite of this image. Naturally, most voters will not analyze in detail the pros and cons of each candidate. They form an idea about them from the information received, not knowing that this information has already passed through the filter of someone's interests.
